Emotional goodbye for Malaysian monitoring team

COTABATO CITY — The outgoing chief of the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) bade the secessionist rebels and the military in Central Mindanao an emotional goodbye.

Malaysian Gen. Pahlawan Soheimi, known for his efficiency in overseeing the ceasefire between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), also urged the MILF and the Armed Forces to vigorously pursue the ceasefire to ensure the cordiality of the Mindanao peace process.

Soheimi, who would complete next week his 12-month tour of duty in Mindanao as chief of the 60-member ceasefire monitoring team, said his involvement in the Mindanao peace initiative gave him a chance to learn from the culture and traditions of the island’s culturally-diverse people.

Soheimi, who was feted with a testimonial dinner by local officials, the MILF and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division over the weekend, said he would return to Malaysia with enough knowledge of the socio-economic and political intricacies of the security problems in Mindanao.

Soheimi told guests at the testimonial dinner that he is confident that his successor and the new members of the IMT, the third batch since 2004, can also effectively perform their duties as ceasefire monitors.

The IMT is composed of 60 military and police officers from Malaysia, Brunei and Libya.

Meanwhile, the MILF said it has no objection to the incoming chairman of the government’s Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities.

The MILF’s website, luwaran.com, said their chief negotiator, Muhaquer Iqbal, had been informed of Malacañang’s replacement of the chairman of the GRP’s ceasefire committee, retired Gen. Antonio Santos, with Gen. Edgardo Gurrea, former commander of the Army’s 603rd Brigade in Camp Abubakar in Maguindanao.

Guerra was also commander for Maguindanao’s interim Task Force Hope (honest, orderly and peaceful elections), which helped the Commission on Elections (Comelec) administer ARMM’s election last year.

Gurrea is known to most leaders of the MILF in Maguindanao, having initiated low-level backchannel dialogues with them on sensitive issues about the ceasefire.